Product Design
What Our Lawyers Should Know About Neurosciences a and Pm R&d
Abstract
Memo explaining that effects of nicotine on the synapse in the CNS are not understood, nor is the manifestation of nicotine at the psychological level. New knowledge in neurophsiology show that synapses are a liquid medium in flux that house varying neurotransmitters and neuroinhibitors. While Phillip Morris is working on altering the structure of the nicotine molecule to see its impact on animal behavior, only one researcher at Phillip Morris, Abood, is working on nicotine's effect on these fluid synapses. The memo questions whether Abood should be the only informant in neurosciences.
Fields
- Hypothesis
- Nicotine transport, transfer, and uptakeDesign changes which alter nicotine delivery or effect how the product causes and maintains dependence, including transfer of nicotine from tobacco to smoke, and uptake into the body.
- Behavior Targeting
Cigarette's effect of enhancing/mitigating specific behaviors- Smoking psychology and behavior
- Behavior Targeting
- Keyword
- Synaptic effects
- Smoke Constituent
- Nicotine
- Nicotine
- Named Organization
- Phillip Morris
- Subject
- CNS/Brain (Effects)
Document Images
-WHAT OUR LAWYERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NEUROSCIENCES AND PM R&D
PM sells cigarettes. Cigarettes deliver nicotine. Nicotine probably
.delivers change at the synapse in the central nervous system. The '
synapses affected are yet to be identified. The nature of the change
(histochemical? neuroelectrical?) is yet to be determined. Even the
manifestation at the psychological level, which,we infer the smoker Is
seeking, is yet to be specified.
New knowledge about the working of the brain is accreting at a rapid
pace. Traditional neurophysiological models are having to be abandoned
in face of recent findings. Impulses still folliow nerve pathways, but
the critical events are now seen to take place at the junctions, or
synaptic connection, of these pathways. The liquid medium whereiin these
connections are suspended were described to graduate students as stable
and irrelevant to conductions a mere few decades ago. Today the bio-
chemical' composition of that medium is being discovered to be in contin-
ual flux, composed of a varying host of "neurotransmitter" and "neuro-
inhibiter" substances of complex molecular structure, and the momentary
state of this synaptic bath is now understood to fix the momentary proba-
bility of conductance across that synapse. The many enkephaiins (long
chain peptides manufactured and released in the brain), other endocrine
substances, and internalized exogenous compounds capable of crossing the
blood-brain barrier are now believed to seek out specific synapses where
eachihas its unique action potential.
Nicotine is one of those exogenous compounds capable of crossing the blood-
brain barrier. At this point in time its action is still unknown, but
there are many laboratories funded to study the question. The major fund-
ing is from anti-tobacco sources, the rationale being that knowledge of
nictoine action couldilead to prophyliactic or therapeutic breakthroughs
to reduce the incidence of smoking.
PhiliplMorriis should be committed both defensively and opportunistically.
Our own internal.programs and our support of Abood's program do, indeed,
constitute attuned commitment. But there is a hole in the center. On th::
one hand' we are manipulating the structure of the nicotine molecule, while
on the other we look at the nicotine-likeness of these altered moleculies
as they affect animal behavior. None among us are focused upon that
synapse and its bath and nicotine's action there. Except Abood. Is Abood
enough? Should' we rely solely upon him as our only informant/investigator
in the neurosciences?
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T. S. OSDENE
